surprised with 20 amp receptacles

[Carrot_]

I've worked on apartment buildings and always wonder, why are people installing 20 amp receptacles in apartments
why people need 20 amp plug in the common hallways?
just curious, does anyone know why?

 

[Loto_Arusu]

A lot of the time it’s not about the tenants, it’s about the cleaners or maintenance crew. Vacuum carts, floor buffers, random equipment that pulls a little harder. Even then, most of them still use regular 15A plugs, so it feels kinda pointless.

 

[Alan]

A lot of property managers spec 20 amp receptacles simply because they match the branch circuit rating and it avoids confusion during inspections. It usually has nothing to do with actual load in the hallway. Some engineers also do it to standardize material across the building. Are you seeing them on every floor or only in select areas?

 

[PGB1]

Long ago, I worked sometimes building office and high rise apartment buildings. Twenty amp were usually spec'd on the drawings primarily for the reason Loto_Arusu wrote.

Foir example: There is (was?) a popular floor cleaner/dryer/buffer called a Tenant Machine that had 20 amp cord caps. The cleaning people used them on terrazzo and marble common area floors. In central locations, such as gathering areas or banquet/meeting rooms, the 20's came in handy for caterers to plug in hot plates and warming cabinets in the hallways outside those gathering areas.

Bonus Use: During construction, we could plug in 2,000 watt space heaters for the painters and drywall finishers without having to run separate temporaries.

 

[h0td0g]

I'm actually thinking about wiring the whole house with no circuits under 20 amps
It will be so useful, we often use more than one high power tools in the same time. like a table saw and a heavy duty vacuum, a house vacuum and a washing machine, and craps like that. 20 amps circuits are nice. idk if this is a good idea though

 

[PGB1]

I'm actually thinking about wiring the whole house with no circuits under 20 amps
It will be so useful, we often use more than one high power tools in the same time. like a table saw and a heavy duty vacuum, a house vacuum and a washing machine, and craps like that. 20 amps circuits are nice. idk if this is a good idea though

I'm not a residential guy, but it sure doesn't seem like it could hurt to use all 20 amp circuits.

The only questions I have (as a not residential electrician) are:
Maybe there is an appliance or something that states "maximum overcurrent protection 15 amps", but maybe not.
I'm not sure if there is a situation, outside of the workshop, where a 20 would be needed; but your bases will be covered if one comes up. (Maybe 2 space heaters?)

For fun, I looked at the cost of #14 & #12 NM. The price difference wasn't much at all.
If you are covered by NFPA 70 and there is more than one receptacle outlet on the circuit, you can use 15 amp receptacles if desired. That will save some money.
Paul
PS: For the record, my house has a lot of 20 amp circuits in living spaces. Reason? When I remodel part of my home, I pipe it. It seems that I always have partial spools of #12 THWN laying about. Might as well use it instead of buying NM. Partials are perfect for short runs, like in my house. (Why Pipe? When I tangle with NM, I always end up strangling myself!)